According to an Inside Indiana Business interview with Bill Benner, new Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard shared his latest thoughts on his team’s roster.
The Colts have already signed 10 outside free agents this offseason, which is reportedly the most in team history–meaning Ballard has been downright busy at his new gig.
However, the majority of the signings have been on defense, as Ballard seems pretty pleased with where the Colts are on offense all things considered:
"Mar 1, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard speaks to the media during the 2017 NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports“Well, look we’ve got a good young nucleus on offense, which I like starting with Andrew (Luck), which we all know quarterback is a very important position to have,” said Ballard in his Inside Indiana Business interview. “When you have that, it makes things a little easier going forward to build around him.”“They did a good job with the offensive line with (Anthony) Castonzo, (Jack) Mewhort, and (Ryan) Kelly, you’ve got a good young player in (Joe) Haeg, so we’ve got some good young pieces on offense.”“Jack Doyle was an important guy. He stood for everything we want to stand for. He worked. He earned his way and had a really good season last year, and I thought that deserved to be rewarded.” Dec 11, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton (13) and quarterback Andrew Luck (12) celebrate a second half touchdown against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports“At wideout, we have T.Y. Hilton, who’s a star–who’s an explosive playmaker and a star. “On the other side, we’ve got Moncrief, who’s still a young player who’s developing. We want to see him come on and hit his ceiling as a player because he has a lot of talent.”“We’ve got another young wideout in Phillip Dorsett, who we’d like to see come (along). He’s got a lot of speed and deep receiving ability, and we want to see him (come) to fruition.”“And then, you can’t say it enough about Frank Gore, he’s a pro. He’s what you want, and even at his age, he still finds ways, finds creases, to run the ball. So, we’ve got a good young nucleus on offense and we want to continue to add to that and continue to add competition…”"
It’s on defense, where the Colts desperately needed an infusion of young talent–particularly in their linebacking corps. Simply put, the team had to get younger, faster, and more athletic there this offseason.
Ballard wasted no time, as he released veteran starter D’Qwell Jackson (33), let Erik Walden (31) leave in free agency, and essentially overhauled the team’s 2nd level by signing the likes of Jabaal Sheard (27), John Simon (26), and Sean Spence (26) at linebacker respectively.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Colts could have a completely new starting linebacker corps come next season.
He also recently released other veteran defensive players such as defensive lineman Art Jones (30) and cornerback Patrick Robinson (29), while also allowing longtime starting safety Mike Adams (36) to sign with the Carolina Panthers.
It’s easy to see that the Colts were looking to maneuver their roster defensively to get on the right side of 30 years old–clearly at the expense of some of their aging veterans:
"“Defensively, we had some work to do,” added Ballard. “The roster was a little bit older. It happens, and we wanted to get younger. So we’ve targeted players who we thought were good fits in the defense that were still in the prime of their career with the arrow going up.”"
It doesn’t appear that the Colts are necessarily done either, as the team could continue to wait out the market to see if Ballard can sign some impact free agents a little cheaper–who missed out on the initial lucrative wave of free agency.
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Collectively this offseason, Ballard has emphasized getting younger defensively, while seeking to improve the competition on the Colts 53-man roster as a whole–something that has so far looked good on paper.
Thus, Colts fans remain hopeful it will translate to improved actual on-the-field results next season.